Featured Company: Phangela Private Security Services (Pty) Ltd

Read about who’s who in the Industry: Phangela Group was established in 2000 and has since been driven by a mission to provide innovative security and staffing solutions to a range of industries and clients. Phangela recognise that each client within their specific industry has unique and defined needs. Phangela is a South African-owned Black Economic Enterprise (BEE) compliant company that offers a diverse range of services in South Africa and Africa.

Phangela Private Security Services (Pty) Ltd

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About Connie van Tonder

I started working at L2B in April 2017 as an Accounts Executive. Not knowing too much about the construction industry. Learning new things every day and enjoying every second of it. Loving what I do!

Featured Company: Excellerate Services (Pty) Ltd

Read about who’s who in the Industry: Excellerate Services (Pty) Ltd exists to add real, measurable value to their clients by creating environments within which people and business can thrive. Excellerate Services does this by going beyond minimum standards to ensure their Client’s properties are secure, that tenants and visitors are safe, that the buildings are clean, gardens well maintained and that paid parking is efficiently managed. Excellerate Services’ vision is to be Africa’s leading trusted provider of fully integrated, self-performing property-related solutions and services, driven by quality, excellence and forward-thinking.

Featured Company Excellerate Services (Pty) Ltd

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About Wendy De Wet

I joined Leads 2 Business as an Account Executive in July 2011 and was part of the dynamic sales team in JHB for 2 years. I relocated to the beautiful city of Durban in 2013 and absolutely love KZN. I am very proud to be part of the L2B family and Legacy!

Demystifying Residential Super Estates

By Leonhard Jonas, CEO of Northlands Business Park and Avianto Estate for Property Wheel

The concept of the super estate is not novel. It has existed globally for several years. However, despite being well-established, no real definition exists. From a developer’s perspective, the most basic requirement of a super estate is to offer more than 2 000 residential opportunities, with facilities and amenities that capture the interest of the buyer.

As a developer, you are creating a new community or township, whose main function it is to provide a safe and secure haven. Although it’s an excellent investment prospect for those looking to expand their portfolio, those buying into a super estate live there on a day-to-day basis, and to make it feasible you need key infrastructure to support the residents. Access to an airport and main arterial routes, schools, medical facilities, and retail opportunities are vital. These factors are important to all developments, but more so to the super estate, as the intention is to create an environment where residents don’t feel the need or desire to leave their cocoon. As such, to claim the title of a super estate, the development must tick a multitude of boxes.

When you look at a super estate like Avianto Estate, Steyn City or Val de Vie, the benefits go beyond creating a safe and protected lifestyle, you are building an opportunity for a multi-generational way of living. Typically, the estate will offer a variety of residential options to satisfy the broader market. Avianto Estate for instance offers a retirement village, pre- and primary school, entry level developments for the starter family, all the way up to the affluent end of the spectrum – basically catering to almost every sector of the market.

Within the South African context, secure estates and complexes have long been sought after. In the past there was the tendency to develop parcels of land and build cookie cutter apartments that are prevalent in Europe – blocks of compact, identical homes that cater to a lock-up-and-go situation. There is certainly a place for it, but as South Africans we want more from our personal living space. Thanks to our mild climate we enjoy being active outside and these complexes don’t necessarily cater to this lifestyle. In recent years, and particularly in response to Covid-19 when we were forced to live and work 24-hours a day in our houses, people realised that a home is more than just a place to lay your head. We want our home and its surrounds to reflect our interests, whether it is cycling, equestrian activities, walking or simply having the freedom to let your children go outside to play, without constantly being on the lookout for dangers. Super estates offer this high level of security but without sacrificing on enjoyment. Super estates recreate the sense of community and allows one to return to a more innocent way of life.

Historically a super estate would have either a polo or a golf course offering. As desirable as these are, they do come with a higher price tag. In his recent podcast, Founder and Executive Chairman of Northlands Group and Developer of Avianto Estate, Darin D’Oliveira, explained that the recent movement is to avoid these traditional, costly facilities and become more inclusive, which ultimately benefits the residents: “Conservatively, to maintain a golf course is over R400 000 a month, which is a cost that the residents of the estate ultimately carry. By avoiding such facilities and allowing the public access to the communal nodes of an estate, such as the restaurant, sporting facilities and gyms, owners are no longer lumbered with excessive levies.”

As with everything, these estates have their time and place, but we are seeing a shift away from these conventional models that often distort the affordability of living in such a place. A more inclusive and humble approach maximizes on the natural surrounds and promotes an outdoor lifestyle through hiking and biking trails, fishing, and picnic spots, to provide the same level of satisfaction but without driving up the levies.

From an affordability standpoint, super estates, despite offering a magnitude of amenities, actually provide a more cost-efficient way of living. Security and landscaping expenses are normally high, but when divided amongst all the residents of an estate, suddenly become far more affordable. The larger the estate, the more residents are paying in levies – it’s a case of economies of scale. With interest rates expected to increase, super estates offer even more financial benefits to the buyer and investor alike. When buying into such an estate at the beginning stage, all costs, such as transfer duties and bond registration are included, ensuring massive savings for the buyers.

Another positive upshot from investing in a super estate is that developers are more sensitive to green-building practices; utilising low maintenance materials, rehabilitating the natural surrounds and providing water and electrical security by way of solar power back-up systems and water storage tanks. This ultimately benefits the residents who are no longer at the mercy of the national providers and are encouraged to live more sustainably and responsibly. All in all, the super estate not only provides the greatest quality of life, but it is becoming more accessible and affordable to the greater population.

About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

Featured Tender: Fire safety training and Fire equipment

North West – DTA 913338

Contract Number:

NWUTR038/2022NW – NWU

Description:

The North-West University invites all specialist contractors with the relevant skills, experience and resources to submit tenders for the following maintenance on the North-West University: Fire safety training and the supply, delivery, installation and maintenance of fire equipment at the North West University.

Category Industry
Security & Fire Institutional
Region Site Inspection
North West No details
Closing Date Contract Period
27 May 2022 at 12:00. No details

Please visit Leads 2 Business for more information on this Tender Notice.
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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

7 Cyber Safety Tips

posted in: General 0

1. Think before you click – Avoid suspicious online links from untrusted sources and emails.

2. Don’t overshare – While there are many opportunities to share personal information online it may come at the cost of allowing a criminal to guess your passwords, security questions, and logins.

3. Don’t fall behind on updates – Updates often include fixes to security flaws in an application, this puts you at risk for all sorts of malware.

4. Keep an eye out for phishing scams – This is when a hacker will attempt to trick you to open an application that can infect your system and steal your credentials. Avoid emails with unfamiliar senders and grammatical errors. Hover over any link to verify the destination.

5. Make sure your data is backed up – Your valuable data can be erased or encrypted by hackers, make sure you back it up on a physical location and the cloud.

6. Keep your mobile device secure – Use strong passwords and don’t connect to any public Wi-Fi automatically.

7.Use a Firewall – Using a firewall ensures that all the devices connected to your network are secure, many smaller devices such as webcams do not have sufficient security and a firewall prevents access to these vulnerable points of entry.


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About Barry West

I am a software developer.

Best Security Tips Ever

Security, Safety and Protection are things that we will always struggle with, no matter who you are, regardless of the kind of house you live in, or where you live – security will always be a concern.

Security Threats can find you anywhere, at any time and everyone is vulnerable. We blindly look to technology, believing its efficient and all we need to protect us, but as much as that is true, the equivalent [if not more] works in favour of the same threats we need protection from.
Crime evolves with technology. It equips criminals with better, more efficient tools and creative ways to carry out their crimes. No surprise there!

We no longer have the luxury of concerning ourselves with just home and body safety – there is a big dark cyber world out there, and their attacks are more severe and lasting than any home burglary. And with today’s social media obsession, who’s really to blame? We put ourselves out there, documenting every detail of our lives for anyone and everyone to see, risking personal information/details that you think is safe, but easily accessible to those who know where and what to look for!

Fact: South Africans spend an average of 8 hours online per day, a third of which is on social media.

Point: Protecting yourself online is important, more than you might think.

One of the many threats out there is Identity Theft.

It is real and serious and it’s an ever growing and terrifying danger that you have to protect yourself from.

It is easy to laugh off and think, this will never happen to me, but just one wrong click on the internet, or 1 fake telesales call where you are distracted and divulge some personal info you should not have and WHAM – that comfortable ‘I would never be so stupid’ rug is swept from under your feet and before you even comprehend what just happened, it’s gone… its all gone – your life, your money, your credit, your Identity!

Ever lose your wallet, or had it stolen? I have.
It’s a massive pain and so inconvenient and time-consuming, having to run around and cancel cards, get new cards, replace your ID or Drivers license [which means hours at home affairs] and of course, let’s not forget – buying a new wallet!.

Now, think what its like when your whole life is stolen, your identity – which is all you have that is actually yours, something that no one is supposed to ever be able to take from you – but they do, they have, and they will continue to do so – and anyone can be next.

Losing a wallet or having it stolen is unpleasant, disruptive and inconvenient.
Having your personal info/identity stolen/hacked is, without measure, WAY worse

So today I am sharing 5 Basic security tips [thats not as basic as it sounds because so many don’t think of it] to protect you from Identity theft:

1. Keep your Tax Info, Bank Statements, and financial docs in a secure place.

2. NEVER EVER give anyone your ID number or any other personal information unless you initiated the contact or you are sure that you know who you are dealing with

3. Your cellphone is not safe! NEVER EVER save sensitive information such as ID Numbers, Bank Login Details or PINS etc on your mobile.
Fingerprint and password-protected phones are never full proof – there’s always a way around it to unlock the phone.
If your phone is stolen with sensitive information stored on it, you have literally handed your identity to criminals all wrapped up with a pretty bow on top – to do with as they see [pro]fit!

4. Tighten up on your social networking security settings. It is known that Criminals can make use of the information obtained on social media platforms,
And do not ever respond to emails that provide you with a website link which requires you to either log in with a password, or update personal information

5. Protect your computer/phone/laptop from hackers by keeping your software up to date, install security apps and keep them up to date to help keep your devices more resilient against automated hacking tools.
Create complex Passwords on everything, and change them regularly. And do not save said passwords anywhere on any of your devices either!

It can never be emphasized enough: Always Protect your Personal and Financial Information.

 

Sources:
Businesstech
SARS
Kaspersky
CreativeBloq
Locklatch
TomsGuide


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About Jackie Van Zyl

My epic journey at Leads 2 Business started September 2008, as a Researcher / Data Capturer in the Tenders Africa Department. I joined Customer Relations in 2011, where I have had the great pleasure of being part of the Dynamic L2B Admin Department [From 2011 to present]. I deal with the Registration and Administration details of New Account Activations, and Existing Account Upgrades, etc. I also assist with client & staff queries. I’m a ‘think-out-of-the-box’ individual and an excellent problem solver. I am hardworking, meticulous, efficient, friendly and always happy to help! I look forward in assisting you with any queries you might have

Best Security Systems for an Office Building

posted in: Safety 0

Best Security Systems for an Office Building

When choosing the right type of security system for your business you need to, make an informed decision and, know as much as possible about the various security systems available. Here is a list of the most important types of commercial security systems in the market:

FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS

Fire alarms won’t detect intruders but they do prevent you from losing assets that could be costly to replace if a fire were to occur. You would also be protecting the lives of your employees if a fire were to break out during business hours. SANS 10400: Part T – Fire Protection states that in the event of a fire:

The occupants or people using the building will be protected – including persons with disabilities;
The spread and intensity of any fire within buildings, and the spread of fire to any other buildings will be minimized;
The generation and spread of smoke will be minimized or controlled to the greatest extent reasonably practicable; and
Adequate means of access, and equipment for detecting, fighting, controlling and extinguishing such fire, is provided.

ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS

Controlling who has access to specific areas of the building is a way you can keep track of any indiscretions. Access control systems have the ability to collect data that states the time a person has accessed the building. Also, anyone who isn’t granted access will not have a way of entering the premises. This may be achieved by using a biometric access control unit where validation based on biometric qualities like iris and facial recognition, and fingerprint scans.

WIRELESS ALARM SYSTEMS

The advantage of a wireless alarm system is that it can go undetected as there are no visible wires. Intruders won’t be able to cut wires to disable the alarm system, and they will never know that they are being watched. Wireless systems are more likely to include solar and battery to stay on without the need for electricity in case of a power failure. Wireless sensors are easy to install, move and expand.

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS

Video surveillance systems protect the inside and outside of your business. This can be very helpful because you can capture video of the intruder before they step foot into your business. If the intruder manages to come in and take something, presenting this type of video footage will be very helpful to the police when creating a report. Your video surveillance system should offer:

Easy access from anywhere
Safe storage – cloud storage/offsite
Flexibility to grow as your company expands

MONITORED SECURITY ALARM SYSTEMS

We’re living in the digital age, so everything, including your security alarm system, can be accessible to you through your cell phone. 24/7 monitoring stations call the phone number you provide to the alarm company when the alarm goes off and you’ll get an alert through the app too. A panic button will send an instant signal to the monitoring station whereby emergency help will be dispatched. Worth noting is that most insurance companies offer substantial savings to clients who have monitored systems, which may negate the cost of annual monitoring. Your security company should offer the following:

Investigations
Technical Assistance
Premises Monitoring
Armed Response and Escorting
Guarding and Security Consulting

IP-BASED SECURITY CAMERAS

Internet protocol cameras, or IP cameras, enable you to send and receive video footage through the internet and computer network. Improved ability for remote viewing and control, anyone on the network can potentially see video from any camera connected to the network. It is recommended that you use a camera with night vision capabilities. These cameras use an infrared spectrum of light at night and can view and record objects in the dark. Other advantages of this type of surveillance system are:

They record at a higher resolution. This means zooming in won’t create a blurry image.
They include motion detection and record any tampering with the camera.
You can use Power over Ethernet (PoE) to provide power to the cameras.
IP cameras are able to cover a better field of view.

All business sectors are affected in a range of ways by different types of crime. While it’s near impossible to eradicate theft entirely a comprehensive security solution is an effective way to minimise the impact.


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About Mark Meyer

I joined Leads 2 Business in February 2009 and serve as IT Director.

Industry Events: Smart Procurement World Indaba 2018

Industry Events: Smart Procurement World Indaba 2018 

Construction Events

Event:

Smart Procurement World Indaba 2018

Date:

17 – 20 September 2018

Event location:

Gallagher Convention Centr, Midrand, Johannesburg

Event Description:

The 12th Annual Smart Procurement World conference and exhibition is the ultimate procurement and inbound supply chain conference in South Africa. Meet the buyers from South Africa’s top corporates and government. This is a sourcing exhibition is where you meet sourcing, procurement, purchasing and buying professionals from both government and the private sector. The exhibition will offer you easy access to procurement professionals ensuring that you can learn more about their requirements and meet their needs.

Contact Details:

http://www.smartprocurementworld.com/contact.html

Event Details:

Website
Pre-registration


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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

Industry Events: Interbuild Africa 2018 & International Information Security South Africa Conference

Industry Event: Interbuild Africa 2018 & International Information Security South Africa Conference

Construction Events

Event:

Interbuild Africa 2018

Date:

15 – 18 August 2018

Event location:

Expo Centre Nasrec, Johannesburg

Event Description:

The definitive showcase for the full spectrum of building, construction and related industries. These shows offer exhibitors unparalleled access to an international audience of key industry buyers and influential decision-makers. Take advantage of the opportunity to launch your latest products and innovations to a captive and specifically targeted industry audience. Come and meet the Leads 2 Business Team at Hall: 6 / Stand: D27.

Contact Details:

Tel: +27 (0)10 003 3063
E-mail: https://www.interbuild.co.za/contact.php

Event Details:

Website
Pre-registration

 

Event:

17th International Information Security South Africa Conference

Date:

15 – 16 August 2018

Event location:

University of Pretoria, Hatfield campus

Event Description:

ISSA2018 is the annual conference for the information security community that continues on the successful recipe established in 2001.

Contact Details:

E-mail: loockm@unisa.ac.za

Event Details:

Website
Pre-registration


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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

Common Security Myths

Common Security Myths

Myth (noun) – An unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution

Use strong passwords and don’t go to sketchy websites, and you’ll protect yourself online, right? Well… That’s a good start. But it’s not quite that simple.
The internet is evolving and so too is cybercrime.

Myth vs Reality:

Myth 1: Firewall + antivirus = total protection
Reality: Antivirus software and a firewall make it difficult for an intruder to get their hands on your information, but you also need to take protective measures. Free only offers basic antivirus and doesn’t have antispam, web filtering and behaviour analysis. Keep your software up to date and patched against vulnerabilities. Combining these technologies with good security habits is the best way to reduce your risk. Remember to lock or log off your computer when leaving your desk, even for a moment.

MYTH 2: Private browsing” is always private
Reality: Surfing the web in private (or incognito) mode prevents the browser — like Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer — from collecting data about your activities. But it doesn’t hide your browsing from your internet service provider and the websites you visit. It also doesn’t hide your IP addresses from web servers and online snoops. Private hides your history from other users on the same computer but it will be tied to your computer.

 

 

 

 

MYTH 3: Infected computers display nasty messages and are very slow.
Reality: The most dangerous hacker is not the one who wants to put a joke or a skull on your screen; it’s the one who stealthily works to take control of your computer and cause damage to your equipment or steal information they can use for their benefit. This type of hacker works to ensure that their activities are not noticed by you.

MYTH 4: I don’t go to dangerous sites, and I check my links, so I’m safe.
Reality: Your browser is the biggest vulnerability. Most recent attacks take advantage of weaknesses in browser-related technologies to compromise your system. By simply visiting a compromised website may be sufficient to allow an attacker to gain control of your system. As if this weren’t bad enough, many legitimate sites are compromised and become sources of infection. Avoid accessing the web from protected systems behind your firewall.

Myth 5: Cyber security? Just leave it to the IT department

Reality: Cyber security is a business risk, not just an IT problem. Setting up the proper technology tools to provide cybersecurity protection are necessary. Organizations, management and staff need to adopt and extend these policies to establish a unified security posture. Staff need to be trained, educated and aware of security risks. Implementing appropriate technical controls to safeguard the information that an organisation holds is the first line of defence against security threats.

Myth 6: My Wi-Fi is unhackable if I hide it
Reality: Most routers give you the option of making your network ‘invisible’. This leaves people believing that since no-one can see their network, no-one on the outside can hack their connection. If someone wants to hack your Wi-Fi, it is quite likely that they have the technical competence to know that most networks are hidden and the know-how to make them visible even though you have hidden the network name. Keep older routers up to date, use strong passwords and check your routers manual to learn how to enable WPA2 wireless encryption on your router.

 

Conclusion

The bottom line is IT security must be a priority for your business, no matter the size of your operation. Based on your industry and security needs, you can work with professionals to customize the appropriate level of coverage for your company. It’s important to remember to apply patches and upgrades and upgrade in a timely manner, but that will only carry you so far. The weakest link in security is still the human element.

Sources:

 

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About Chantélle Naudé

I have been with Leads 2 Business for 9 years, working in the Leads 2 Quotes department. Mother to two beautiful daughters.

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